Yellow Turban Rebellion

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was a peasant revolt in late Han dynasty-era China which broke out in 184 AD and continued until 205 AD. The Way of Peace, a Taoist sect led by Zhang Jiao, rose in revolt against the Han government due to its misrule and its domination by corrupt eunuchs. The main uprising was quelled by 185 AD, but small pockets of Yellow Turban rebels held out until 205 AD, when Cao Cao pacified their remnants.

Background
In June of 178 AD, a murky cloud found its way into the Hall of Virtue in the imperial Chinese capital of Luoyang, while a part of the Yuan Mountains collapsed at around the same time. Emperor Ling of Han was disturbed by these bad omens, and Court Counselor Cai Yong warned him that these evil omens were in response to the corrupting influence of the Ten Eunuchs, powerful court officials who were infamously power-hungry. Chief Eunuch Cai Jie displayed his power by firing Cai Yong and sending him back to his home. Meanwhile, Emperor Ling of Han came to see the Eunuch Zhang Rang as his "foster father", and the corrupt state administration went from bad to worse as the Imperial Court raised taxes on peasants in order to fund the frontier garrisons and the construction of Silk Road forts, while famine forced many peasants into destitution and starvation. At the same time, in Julu, the local medician Zhang Jiao met a venerable old gentleman who presented him with the Book of Heaven and told him that, with the aid of the book, he could convert the world and rescue humankind. Zhang Jiao was soon said to be able to summon winds and command the rain, and he became known as the "Mystic of the Way of Peace".

In 184 AD, as famine gripped China, Zhang Jiao and his brothers Zhang Ba and Zhang Liang distributed charmed remedies to the afflicted, and he began to have a following of disciples whom he taught to write charms and recite formulas. He established 36 circuits with between 5,000 to over 10,000 members each, and each circuit was commanded by a general. They were then indoctrinated with the belief that the blue skies would die and a golden heaven would rise. Zhang Jiao then sent his follower Ma Yuanyi to the Imperial Court to convert the Ten Eunuchs to the Way of Peace, bearing gifts. At the same time, Zhang Jiao prepared his 360,000 followers for a rebellion, making yellow flags and banners. Zhang Jiao then wrote to Feng Xu to gain his support, but Feng Xu's follower Tang Zhou betrayed Zhang Jiao's plans to the Imperial Court, who had Ma Yuanyi beheaded and had Feng Xu cast into prison. Zhang Jiao then called for the people to rebel, and people bound their heads with yellow scarves, coming to be known as the "Yellow Turbans". Soon, the Yellow Turban army reached almost 500,000 strong, and Imperial Guardian He Jin sent the generals Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun to march against the rebels. Liu Yan, Governor of You Province, issued a call for volunteers, and 28-year-old Zhuo County merchant Liu Bei heeded the call. He, wine seller and butcher Zhang Fei, and fugitive Guan Yu met at a peach orchard and swore an oath of brotherhood, and they then set out to help suppress the rebellion.

Battle of Daxing Hills
Days later, Yellow Turban chieftain Cheng Yuanzhi invaded You Province with 50,000 troops, so Liu Yan sent Zhou Jing and the three sworn brothers with 500 troops to the foot of the Daxing hills to confront the rebels. After Liu Bei taunted the Yellow Turbans, Cheng sent out his general Deng Mao to initiate battle with Zhang Fei, who pierced his heart with one thrust of his halberd. Cheng Yuanzhi then charged into battle, only gor Guan Yu to ride forth and cut him in half. Their generals dead, the rebels collapsed, throwing away their weapons and fleeing. Thousands of Yellow Turbans were captured by the pursuing Han forces, and the Han victory was complete.

Siege of Qingzhou
The next day, Qing Province prefect Gong Jing asked Liu Yan for assistance with relieving the Yellow Turban siege of his chief city, so Liu Bei and his 500 soldiers, reinforced by Zhou Jing's 5,500, set out to help relieve the city. The larger Yellow Turban force attacked the Han reinforcements, who were forced to withdraw ten miles and recover. Liu Bei decided that the only way to win was to develop a superior strategy, so he sent Guan Yu and Zhang Fei behind the hills, right and left respectively, to ambush the rebels when Liu Bei's forces sounded a gong. Liu Bei then led his force to attack the Yellow Turbans, who also charged into battle; Liu Bei then feigned a retreat, luring the Yellow Turbans into chasing his army. The rebels then pressed over the hills, and Liu Bei's forces sounded the gongs, leading to Zhang Fei and Guan Yu's forces closing in from the sides and enveloping the Yellow Turbans on three fronts. The rebels lost heavily and fled to the city walls, where Gong Jing led an army out to attack them, entirely defeating them and slaying many of them. With the Han victory, Qingzhou was saved from the Yellow Turban threat.

Battle of Yingchuan
Upon hearing that his former teacher Lu Zhi was struggling with the Yellow Turbans at Guangzong, Liu Bei received permission from Zhou Jing to march to Lu Zhi's aid. Zhang Jiao's 150,000 troops and Lu Zhi's 50,000 troops were locked in stalemate, with Zhang Jiao being able to surround Zhang Jiao's army at Guangzong, but Zhang Ba and Zhang Liang being strongly entrenched opposite Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun at Yingchuan. Liu Bei set off for Yingchuan, and the Han forces attacked with success and forced the rebels back to Changshe, where they escaped among the thick grass. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun then set fire to the thick grass, and, after the wind blew a gale, the rebel encampment in the grass was set ablaze, and they fled in all directions without mounting horses or donning armor. The battle continued until dawn, and Zhang Liang and Zhang Ba attempted to escape, only to find themselves facing Cao Cao's army. Cao Cao's 5,000 horsemen and foot fell in with the newly defeated rebels and cut them to pieces, slaying thousands and capturing endless banners, drums, horses, and money.

Battle of Guangzong
Liu Bei and his army then hastened back to Guangzong to assist Lu Zhi with defeating Zhang Jiao, but they were too late. Zhang Jiao employed his supernatural powers to prevent Lu Zhi from defeating him, and Court Eunuch Zhuo Feng, who had been sent to investigate the defeat, lied to the Court after Lu Zhi refused to give him a bribe, and told Emperor Ling that Lu Zhi had cowered behind his ramparts; Emperor Ling sent Dong Zhuo to supersede Lu Zhi, who was taken back to Luoyang on a cage cart (meeting Liu Bei along the way and telling him of the defeat). Liu Bei was forced to continue on as Lu Zhi was hauled off, and Guan Yu convinced him to return to Zhuo County. However, along the way, they came across Zhang Jiao's army as it pursued the defeated Dong Zhuo's army. Liu Bei and his forces drove the Yellow Turbans into confusion and drove them back 15 miles, defeating them. However, Dong Zhuo disrespected Liu Bei when he came to his camp to report the victory, as Liu Bei did not hold office; only Liu Bei's intervention prevented Zhang Fei from killing Dong Zhuo.

Battle of Quyang
Liu Bei and his forces then joined with Zhu Jun's army, and Zhu Jun made preparations to attack Zhang Ba's army, while Cao Cao joined forces with Huangfu Song to attack Zhang Liang's army. The two armies met at Quyang, where Zhang Ba and his 80,000 troops encamped in the rear of the hills. Liu Bei led the Han vanguard into battle, and Zhang Fei slew the Yellow Turban general Gao Sheng when he charged out to offer battle. Zhang Ba responded by summoning wind and thunder, and a phantom army materialized. The next day, Liu Bei decided to have Guan Yu and Zhang Fei each take 1,000 troops to the high cliffs behind the hills and bring with them swine and goats to sacrifice for counter-magic. Liu Bei then marched into battle, and Zhang Ba met him and summoned his spells. However, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's men made their sacrifices and splattered blood onto the phantoms, who disappeared. Zhang Ba attempted to flee, but his army was attacked on all sides and massacred; Zhang Liang was among those slain. Zhang Ba was wounded in the left arm before fleeing to Yangcheng, where he was besieged by Zhu Jun. Huangfu Song was hailed for his victory and replaced Dong Zhuo as overall commander of the Imperial Army, and he won seven more victories. Zhang Jiao died of illness before he could fight, and his coffin was exhumed, his corpse beheaded, and his head sent to the Imperial Court. At the same time, Zhu Jun took advantage of Zhang Jiao's death to press the attack on Yangcheng, and Zhang Ba's officer Yan Zheng, anticipating the rebellion's failure, murdered him and brought his head in token of submission.

Siege of Wancheng
While the main rebellion was defeated, Yellow Turban leaders Zhao Hong, Han Zhong, and Sun Zhong gathered 30,000 other rebels and called themselves "The Avengers of Master Zhang Jiao". The rebels captured Wancheng, but Zhu Jun and his veteran army marched to defeat them there. Liu Bei and his brothers attacked the southwest corner of the city, while Zhu Jun led 2,000 armored horsemen to attack the opposite corner. The Yellow Turbans, thinking the city lost, abandoned the southwest and marched to meet Zhu Jun's army, only to be attacked in the rear by Liu Bei and utterly routed. They were then besieged in the city, and Zhu Jun declined their offer of surrender. Liu Bei then advised Zhu Jun to let the rebels flee out of one corner of the city in order to draw them out rather than engage in a lengthy siege. Han Zhong was the first to lead his men out, but the besiegers fell upon them as they fled, and Han Zhong was slain. Zhao Hong and Sun Zhong came with a large number of reinforcements, forcing the Han forces to withdraw. Just then, Sun Jian arrived in the east with Han reinforcements, and he attacked Wancheng from the south as Liu Bei and Zhu Jun attacked the north and west gates. Sun Jian killed Zhao Hong with his own spear and then mounted his horse, slaying several Yellow Turbans as he rode across the battlefield. The rebels fled north, and Liu Bei killed Sun Zhong with an arrow as he attempted to escape. Zhu Jun's army then arrived and slaughtered the rebels, bringing peace to the ten counties around Nanyang. The rebellion was temporarily quelled, but the Eunuchs' continued hold on power led to Ou Xing's rebellion in Changsha and Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun's rebellion in Yuyang.